Is There Truly Forgiveness?
by NirCele
Summary: Glorfindel and Erestor were once friends, before a misunderstanding, pride, and a terrible argument broke that friendship. Now, Erestor is seeking to make amends, but will Glorfindel accept it, after what he has been subject to? And does Erestor truly mean it? This is the sixth and final part of the Revenge series.
1. The Confrontation

**Here it is, the last part of the Revenge series. *cries***

 **You know, I never thought this would turn out to become this long series – all I wanted was to write a funny one-shot! (But no, Erestor insisted upon his Revenge, and then Glorfindel did, and then it got way out of hand…) And now it's (in total) a little over 35000 words long! O.O Anyway, enough with the author's insane reminisces.**

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Glorfindel sat silently in his office, running his fingers over the smooth fur of the purring kitten in his lap. His mind wandering, he stared unseeingly at the wall of his small office. This place was rarely used, though it had been given to Glorfindel on the very day he had received his title as Captain of Imladris. He preferred to be out among his men, gaining their trust and comradeship, working alongside them as they trained, rather than being in here alone. That was one of the main reasons why it took him so long to turn in patrol reports and lists of items that he needed for weapons training.

He felt the solitude keenly as he sat quietly, but the low rumbling of the kitten in his lap eased his discomfort. It arched up into his touch, its pleasure at being given so much attention obvious. Feeling the tiny spine and furry sides as he rubbed the fur, Glorfindel was startled when the kitten suddenly leapt out of his lap and darted under his desk. He bent to look for it, but as he was searching the shadows, a knock sounded at his door.

Pursing his lips, Glorfindel glanced for the kitten once more, but didn't see it. He straightened up with a heavy sigh, still feeling the soreness that came after a long fight. He might have escaped wounds on his patrol, but not weariness. Giving the door a lengthy stare, he wondered briefly who would come to see him here. Most people wouldn't even expect him to be in here.

"Come in!" he finally called, picking up the quill he had never used out of the tray and turning it in his fingers. There was another pause, and then the door clicked open, and a figure Glorfindel had never expected to see here stepped in.

"Erestor?" he said with some surprise. "What are you – oh." He let the quill fall down to the desk and he sat back into his chair. "Did I forget a report? I thought, since I didn't lead this patrol, that I wouldn't need to write one…but if you need me to do it, I can –"

"No, it's not that," Erestor interrupted, looking wearied himself. His wrapped right arm rested in his other hand, painfully reminding Glorfindel of his foolish prank that seemed so long ago now.

Glorfindel waited a few more seconds, but Erestor was staring at something past him and didn't say anymore. "Well?" Glorfindel said finally. "How may I help you?"

"I…" The adviser's brow furrowed and he frowned, then blurted suddenly, "I accept your apology."

Glorfindel stared at him in bewilderment. "Excuse me?"

"That's not – no, wait, that's not what I meant to say." Erestor seemed to be at a loss for words, which surprised Glorfindel more than anything else. The Counselor had never been at a lack of snappy replies and cool rejoinders, but he looked like he was struggling now.

"What I meant to say was, I forgive you for – injuring me. It turns out an assistant was quite helpful after all, anyway." Erestor smiled tightly, still not looking directly at Glorfindel. His dark eyes were fixed on the wall behind Glorfindel.

Glorfindel couldn't find anything to say to that. Out of anything he had thought Erestor would say when he first saw the dark-haired Chief Counselor entering, it hadn't been that. "Excuse me?" he finally managed to say again.

"Well, it is – this argument or whatever it was is quite…" Erestor released the grip on his wrist and waved his unbroken hand vaguely in the air. "It's quite silly. We have to, after all, work together for Lord Elrond, as his two most trusted confidantes, and it would hamper the professionalism of Imladris if we didn't seem to be getting along."

"Ah," Glorfindel managed, and Erestor took that as a reply that his explanation hadn't been sufficient.

"It might lower the morale of others here, seeing that I can't agree with you, or forgive you for a – a silly prank that I had been provoking you to attempt." Erestor appeared to have gotten his elegant tongue back.

"Is this all you have thought about while I was gone?" asked Glorfindel in a low voice. Something hit his foot, and he recognized vaguely that the kitten was patting his boot with one delicate, tiny paw.

"I…well." Erestor, oddly enough, seemed discomfited. Glorfindel had never really seen him like that. "I was rather angry at you until quite recently. But I have…overcome my ridiculous feelings and realized that we shouldn't argue like we have. Lord Elrond has even spoken to me about it, and suggested that I do something about it."

That made sense, but he still didn't understand why Erestor wasn't angry at him any longer. Perhaps Elrond was right, the time away had caused Erestor to change his mind? "So you're saying this because Elrond told you to do it?"

"No, of course not." Erestor caught his bandaged wrist in his other hand again. "No, I decided to talk to you because, as I said, it's rather senseless for us both to be angry when –"

"I was never angry at you," Glorfindel reminded him. He almost jumped when he felt a bristly cat tongue run along his ankle.

"Oh. Yes. That's true." Erestor was tapping his robes, something Glorfindel had identified over the years as anxiety. "Myself, then. I have – will you accept _my_ apology for being rude and…refusing to acknowledge you?"

Glorfindel couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "I…yes, of course."

Erestor didn't seem to have anticipated that either. He blinked slowly, then straightened. "Ah, well…thank you."

There was a long silence, where Glorfindel stared at him, trying to process what exactly had just happened. After another moment, Erestor's dark gaze danced away and he turned toward the door. "Good day, then, I suppose."

"Wait!" Glorfindel shot to his feet, a frown crossing his face. The kitten by his feet darted away to another corner of the bottom of the desk. "Where are you going?"

"To work on…reports, or check the storehouse." Erestor stopped and glanced back at him. "Or something of that ilk."

"But we've resolved almost nothing!" Glorfindel could feel frustration creeping upon him, something he knew Erestor used to feel every day in conversations with him.

Erestor turned back, brow furrowed. "I…thought we had." It seemed as though there was guilt in his eyes, though Glorfindel couldn't be sure and he wouldn't know why.

"What about – about…" Glorfindel couldn't think of an _exact_ thing to say, but there was a lingering feeling of something that wasn't right, that hadn't been fixed. He remembered the night Erestor hadn't shown up, those two weeks before he had left, and his brows lowered. "Are you going to come to the library tonight?"

"Well...I might, if I have books to get for reference or advice." Erestor's eyes darted away, and Glorfindel knew that the adviser understood what he was really talking about.

"You say you forgive me for _injuring_ you," Glorfindel said quietly. "But do you mean hurt or harm? You remember when we talked about it."

Erestor's face had slid into a mask all too familiar to Glorfindel. "Harm, Glorfindel, is not so easily forgivable. Yes, I remember."

"Harm? The jokes were just that, _jokes!_ I didn't mean them."

Erestor crossed his arms, the folds of his black robe falling over the pristine bandage on his right wrist. " _True_ friends don't speak to other people about each other like that," he said frigidly.

Glorfindel sat back down in his seat, but not in defeat. He was actually a bit frustrated. "I have apologized," he said, "multiple times. I will do so again. Is that what you want to hear again? Fine. I am _sorry_ , Erestor, for hurting and harming you. Is it so unforgivable? _This_ is what will break our friendship?"

"That is not –" Erestor started, but this once, Glorfindel did not want to be interrupted.

"Your _pride_ , your accursed pride is what this is all about, isn't it? Does it make you feel better to know that you've caused the 'great Balrog-slayer' to beg for your forgiveness? No!" he said when Erestor's eyes flashed angrily. "I am truly sorry for causing this, but I think we both know it could have been stopped quite easily if you weren't so stubborn." He sat back, weary of arguing, and passed a hand over his eyes. "It's really up to you how this goes now."

A long minute passed, and Glorfindel truly didn't know whether Erestor would leave in a fury at being spoken to so bluntly, or stay and actually talk now. He felt a soft brush of fur along his leg as the kitten wound around his ankle, and then Erestor finally spoke.

It was the last thing he had thought he would say.

"You are right," the adviser said quietly, and took a deep, shuddering breath, as though he was preparing himself for something hard. Glorfindel just looked at him, though his surprise was evident, and waited.

"You are right, it is my pride," he continued, his arms falling to his side; the fingers of his left hand ran nervously along the decorative beads of his robe. "It is not…something I would readily admit to having. I thought, then, that you were just pretending to be my friend. I suppose it is silly, from your point of view, but truthfully, you're the only…" He paused, looking everywhere but Glorfindel. "Well, I did find out that Lisondrë – my assistant – gave you that letter that was…meant to be burned." His fingers were tapping nervously once more. "So I guess you already know that you've been my only _friend_ , at least one that's not found an excuse to leave."

"I will never –" Glorfindel started, indeed thinking of that letter, now seeming to burn in his pocket, but didn't continue when Erestor raised a hand.

"Please, let me finish. I just…I was thinking when you left, that it would be an ordinary patrol and you would come back cheery as ever. I suppose, if you hadn't been given the letter, I would have gotten over it in time and forgiven you. Then the captain gave me the report for the patrol, and I've realized how…foolish it was, for lack of a better word." The fingers were drumming out a rhythm on his robe again. "If you had been seriously wounded or even…died on that patrol; I think, what you said and did would seem so infinitesimal compared to that. Even now, that you haven't, it still doesn't come to my mind as quite that important."

"Just because I might have been hurt in a skirmish?" Glorfindel asked quietly, as if he was wary of startling the adviser, who for the first time he could remember, indeed seemed to be talking about something personal.

"That, and…you have always been the instigator of our friendship, anything we've done – chess, for one example – and though you are rather annoying at times, you've never been driven away by what some call my 'sharp tongue' and instead seem to be determined to…" He waved ambiguously, "I know not, retain my companionship? Even if I'm typically not in the best of moods."

Glorfindel was listening intently, trying not to seem as if he was recording every word and locking them away where Erestor could never retract them. He didn't know exactly what he had said that had caused Erestor to tell him this, but he wasn't going to stop him. He was startled, therefore, when sharp teeth bit into his leg – apparently the kitten wanted the attention back on her. Restraining himself somehow from yelping, he carefully used his other foot to dislodge her and nudge her off of his leg. After a moment, she curled around his foot and settled down on it.

"But I concur." Erestor brushed back a strand of dark hair that had fallen from its place, breaking his rhythm of tapping his robe. "I suppose, this whole time, I've been…" He hesitated, obviously not really wanting to say the word, but went on after a moment. "I've been _afraid_ to have you as a friend. Instead of being…normal and accepting it, I retaliated too intensely and thought the whole time you had been messing with me, instead of just – I suppose as you said, you were just joking – but I didn't think of it as that. So I…pushed you away and didn't want to let you know how I felt, what I actually thought about it all. It's just, I never believed that I – well, everyone who as ever claimed to be my friend has left or broken our companionship with some excuse, so I think it was my fault those times as well. There was someone who was…a little more than a friend, but – I have not spoken to her for an Age. She left as well."

Glorfindel couldn't think of anything to say. He hadn't thought Erestor would tell him anything, he would just leave angrily…but these matters needed to be resolved. Erestor squinted at Glorfindel's pondering expression and he added one more thing.

"There is…still time, you can leave now. I would not feel too upset." His eyes betrayed the contrary.

Glorfindel shook his head and leaned forward. "No, I won't, Erestor. I don't know who your acquaintances were then, but as you said, they have left. You can dismiss them from your mind – they do not matter anymore." He glanced around the room and sighed at the lack of another chair. They should both be sitting in a discussion like this, one that might take a while. He turned his gaze back to Erestor and spoke firmly. "I am not them. They were fools to leave a friendship such as you _can_ offer, and I will not do so. I never wished to purposely hurt – or harm – you, and if I should ever do so unintentionally, or if you think it was purposeful, you will confront me about it and we can talk about it. _Really_ talk about it."

Erestor was just staring at him. "Aye," was all he said.

Glorfindel felt the silky fur of the kitten slide along his ankle once more, and a brilliant idea flew into his mind. He stood again, making sure not to jostle the kitten that was curled around his ankle. "We can discuss this fully tonight, when it will be more comfortable for both of us. You _will_ come to the library tonight?"

Erestor's gaze skittered to the floor, then he set his jaw and looked up. "Yes. I will be there."

Glorfindel released a relieved breath he hadn't known he was holding. "Good, I will see you there." He smiled, a bit of mischief creeping into his blue eyes. "Have fun with your…inventory of the warehouses, or whatever you said you were doing."

Erestor accepted that the conversation was over, but his mind was already working on the reason Glorfindel was so determined that they meet for chess again tonight. "I will, thank you," he said absent-mindedly, and turned to the door. His robes fluttered about his ankles as he paused just before he closed it.

"Don't forget the wine."

"I never do!" Glorfindel called as the door shut. He laughed in a sort of shock and relief and sat down, quietness overtaking the small office again. He still couldn't quite believe what had just happened. _Had_ this all really happened?"

"Did that really happen?" he queried to the kitten that was now chewing on his shoe laces. She mewed and looked up at him with large blue eyes.

"I suppose it did," he agreed, and picked her up. She settled easily into his lap again, and he began stroking her soft fur once more. Looking down at her, he smiled slightly and added, "I have something in mind for you, little darling."

She purred.

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 **I'm sorry. I started writing and I absolutely could not stop. I'm still writing it, in fact, but it's going to be over 10,000 words. (How could becoming friends again take that long, you two? I'm disappointed). I don't want to make you all read that many words at once, so I'm going to divide it into four separate chapters. It should go a little faster this way – and I'm actually thinking I should have made it just one big huge story. Maybe not, though.**

 **So! What do you think? Will they actually get over themselves? Will Glorfindel find out what Erestor is hinting at? Is Erestor even going to show up?!**

 **And the most important question of all…will Glorfindel forget the wine?**


	2. Waiting For Sundown

**This is mostly a filler chapter…I suppose. If Erestor does go to the library, that chapter will be next. Thank you, everyone, for the lovely reviews!**

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There was a light patter of feet as a brunette _elleth_ entered Erestor's study, a tray in one hand and a pot of something in the other. Erestor glanced up absently when she came in, then returned to reading the letter in front of him.

"Lisondrë," he said, tapping a line of text near the middle of the message. "This will need to be addressed specifically – that's the whole point of this letter, the rest is just sociable blather. I need to reply to this soon."

"I'll write it for you whenever you wish," Lisondrë agreed. She set the tray down on the small table that was a few feet away from the desk and deftly poured a steaming cup of tea. Sliding the cup onto the small plate with a few scones and berry tarts, she put it all next to Erestor. "Your tea has arrived."

"Tea? Oh. Yes, thank you." Reaching for the elegant teacup without looking, he sipped carefully and then frowned at something else he read in the letter. "And this – this is nonsense. It will have to be ignored; they're just trying to provoke us."

She peered over his shoulder at the letter and scanned it, nodding the whole while. "Hmm…that sounds right."

After a moment, Erestor set the teacup down and tossed the letter onto a growing pile to his left. "Confounded diplomats," he snapped under his breath, and Lisondrë was wise enough to not reply to that.

"You're getting better using your left hand," she noticed, and Erestor snorted.

"Of course I am, it'd be rather ridiculous if I couldn't use it for anything. I can't _write_ with it though, and that's what I need."

Lisondrë waited a long moment for him to say anything else, but when he didn't she nodded and headed to the desk in the corner. Erestor had gotten someone to install it the day after she had been employed as his assistant. "Whenever you're done, my lord, I'll just take the tray back to the kitchens." She added the title 'my lord,' though she found it hard to think of him as that when she still remembered him as a nervous youngling adviser in Lindon.

"You didn't need to fetch me tea," Erestor told her, but she noticed that wasn't stopping him from popping a few berry tarts in his mouth and humming appreciatively at the taste.

"Well, you forgot lunch again, so I decided to bring you something." Lisondrë had just settled down and begun her compilation of yesterday's reports when her head snapped up. "Oh! Is that inventory of the new food supply approved? The cooks were asking me about it earlier."

"It's on the out pile," Erestor said, waving a hand distractedly at the small stack of neatly arranged papers that were on the edge of his desk. He tugged another paper toward him and began reading it, then picked up the teacup and took a small sip out of it.

Lisondrë nodded, though she wasn't sure he had seen it, and then she went back to her work. A few minutes later, with glances snuck over at him, she finally dared to speak, but didn't use a bit of tact. "My lord Erestor, is there something wrong with you and Glorfindel?"

He slowly looked over at her, regal face unreadable, and his fingers stilled where they had been tracing over the lines of the letter. "Why would you ask?"

"Well…you seemed to be avoiding him, before he went on that really long patrol, and now that he just got back yesterday, I haven't seen you talking to him." She hesitated, not wishing to really intrude on something that seemed personal, but she did know that talking about things could help someone. "Are you still…friends?"

Those dark eyes fixed unnervingly on her, and for the first time she could remember, she felt a shiver snake up her spine, but she managed not to shudder. After a long moment, he broke the gaze and looked away toward the door.

"We are still friends, I suppose, but this, Lisondrë, is something you should not meddle in." He glanced back at her, inscrutable as always. "Remember your status."

She ducked her head in deference and apology, aware of his higher ranking though she was older, and returned to her work without another word. They continued on in silence; Erestor surveyed the incoming letters and planned what to write in reply, and Lisondrë scrawled down in her elegant writing what the orders for the next week would be. After a while, Lisondrë moved to the third desk in the room, the one used just for writing and calligraphy, and Erestor stood behind her and dictated as she wrote out letters and reports to send the next day.

Lisondrë was startled when the dinner bell rang, but Erestor gathered the letters she had just finished addressing and waved her away.

"Go and eat," he ordered, putting the envelopes in neat little stacks where the courier would pick them up the following morning. He really was getting quite handy with using just one hand. "We'll finish the last of the inventories tomorrow morning – you can have the rest of the day off."

She bowed in thanks, grabbing the forgotten tea tray from earlier on her way out, but then paused at the door. "Will you not come for dinner?"

He shook his head. "No, I have a few things to finish – confidential information, you understand."

Lisondrë tilted her head in acceptance. "Should I bring you some supper, or have a maid bring a tray by here?"

"Just a light meal, mention it to the Master Cook and she'll have someone bring it." Erestor frowned at his quill; it looked a little dull. "And if you don't mind, stop by the penmaster's shop and tell him we need the quills sharpened."

"I will do that," she agreed, and sensing that he wanted solitude, shut the door behind her.

Erestor dropped the dull quill and sighed. A long moment later, he rose quietly to his feet and padded to the little-used door beside the window that was half-draped with silky filigree curtains. He hadn't wanted them there, but Celebrían had insisted upon it - to make it look more approachable, she had said, but he still didn't see the reasoning in that.

Turning the lock, he pushed the door open and ducked through, coming out onto a small balcony that had a simple table and two chairs. There were a few pots containing flowers upon the railing, and Erestor wasn't surprised to see that a few delicate spider webs nested between petals.

He ran his finger along the metal railing, feeling dust catch on his fingers, and made a note to mention that to the maid who was supposed to keep his office clean from dust, webs and such. Brushing the collected grime away, he dusted the seat of a chair and lowered himself into it with a quiet exhalation. His dark gaze scanned the view before him – the lower level of Imladris stretched out below, and the river was visible in the distance. Right beneath him, however, there was a good-sized lawn, paths along the edge, and neatly-clipped grass. Flowers he couldn't identify grew along the edges – he had never been good at remembering names of plants – and the stone paths were swept tidily.

Erestor felt the tension he had been harboring all day slowly seep away at the peaceful, quiet scene before him. There was no one in sight but distant elves heading toward the dining hall, which Erestor could barely make out nestled between two housing buildings and the kitchens behind it. All in all, it was quite serene. In a show of very inelegant behavior, Erestor slid down into his seat, losing his perfect posture and relaxing. The sun, still a few hours from the horizon, didn't bother him as the balustrade's roof protected him from the warm rays.

He didn't quite understand why Lisondrë had asked him about Glorfindel. Was it her insatiable curiosity, or was she trying to tell him something? In any case, he was going to the library tonight and they would...continue...the tradition of playing chess, though the thought of confronting the Elda once again made Erestor feel slightly nauseous - he would never admit that, however. It was, as he had admitted to Glorfindel earlier, his fear at being rejected by a friend _again_. If Erestor was to be completely honest with himself, he didn't even know why he had said all of that, and he was sincerely hoping Glorfindel wouldn't remember most of it.

In the utterly silent minutes following, and his thoughts spiraling in endless circles about tonight, Erestor fell asleep without meaning to do so, the stress of the last few weeks finally catching up to him.

When he woke, it was to utter darkness.


	3. Acceptance Or Avoidance

**I had planned to post this tomorrow night, but I got so many wonderful reviews I had to post it tonight. ^_^ Thank you all!**

Glorfindel, chin propped in hand as he stared at the door of the library, couldn't help but remember the last time he had been in this position. It was sundown already, just like last time, and the chess board was set, the wine warming beside him with two empty glasses, and the fire flickered happily a few yards from him. Two weeks ago, he had done this very thing, not knowing what he knew now, and Erestor hadn't shown up then either.

It was nearing the 10th hour of the night when the door to the library burst open suddenly, and through the wide spaces and large gaps in the bookshelves, Glorfindel could see Erestor coming through the door, looking a little disheveled. His dark hair was mussed and black robes wrinkled, and he looked around with flustered eyes until he caught sight of Glorfindel.

"Oh!" said the adviser, nudging the door to a semi-shut position. "You're here." As though he had expected Glorfindel to become impatient and leave.

"Yes," was all Glorfindel said, and he wanted to be annoyed that Erestor was late, but he couldn't find it in him, and so he smiled and patted the table, feeling immeasurably relieved. "Here, come sit down."

Erestor smoothed his robes once before going to the table, sliding into his seat as he had done almost every third night since Glorfindel had been made Captain. His fingers played with the silver tassels on his sleeves before he put them in his lap with conscious effort. His right hand he tucked beneath the folds of his robes, the white bandage a strange contrast again his robes. "I lost track of time," he said in apology, looking a little more like his usual self.

Glorfindel nodded in understanding, and poured the wine. He glanced down at the chess board before them; the white pieces were on his side of the board, since he hadn't know which the Counselor would want, and he had already moved a pawn forward. "A drink?" he said, offering one of the full goblets, and Erestor took it. "It's the dark red, a bottle imported from Harlond." The sand there made the grapes grow rich and full, which in turn aged the wine heady and powerfully, but Erestor would know that.

Erestor took the cup, but he didn't drink. He weighed it carefully in his hand, staring down at the chess board with his brow furrowed. After a moment, he set it aside and looked up resolutely at Glorfindel. "What are we doing here?" he asked, and it was a true question.

Glorfindel, at another time, would have laughed and replied casually. Now, he knew that wasn't the best approach, so he took a long minute to reply, taking a sip of the heady wine he had chosen and rolling it over his tongue. Finally, after a period of thought, he swallowed the drink and replied. "We are here, _mellon nín_ , as adults and not quarreling elflings – we can work through our differences. Is it so difficult to talk, remember what has been done and forgive it all?"

"Talking about feelings has never been my strong point," Erestor admitted, but his dark eyes were steady as he met Glorfindel's.

"Then we shall work on that," Glorfindel said with a small smile, and set his drink aside. He gestured at the board. "Let's play the game and talk at the same time, yes?"

Erestor nodded in agreement, but he barely looked at the board before jumping his left knight out in front of a pawn. He had never used that as a beginning unless he was sure of his King's safety, so Glorfindel was cautious, though the game wasn't in the forefront of his mind. He considered his next move, fingers hovering over various pieces, before pushing another pawn forward just beside the first one.

Their game was started now; Erestor would take much longer to choose where his pieces would go after this. Glorfindel knew from their many, many times before that he was not going to move another piece for at least two minutes.

Watching the adviser stare at the board, Glorfindel leaned back in his chair and frowned, thinking how to broach the subject of earlier. He didn't have to – Erestor spoke the next moment.

"I suppose I should explain some things?"

Glorfindel thought about that, and finally raised an eyebrow. "Well, you could, I believe."

Erestor drew his left hand back; it had been tapping the edge of the table as he considered his next move. "I didn't forget about tonight, for one. I…fell asleep right after I dismissed Lisondrë, waiting, and I didn't realize how much time had passed."

"Well, you're the one late for once, so you can't tease me next time," Glorfindel said with a smile, and he was hoping that there _would_ be a next time. He did wonder why Erestor would fall asleep, however, if he hadn't been working. He had found the adviser sound asleep in his office, late at night, too many times to count. "How much have you slept lately? And while I was gone?"

Erestor blinked slowly. "I don't really know. I think for two hours last night, but I can't be sure. It's been very busy lately – the Feast of Starlight was a week ago, you know, though you weren't here, and we had many guests. There was, of course, much to do even after they left. I think the last party from Lórien left the day before you got back."

Glorfindel knew he looked very disapproving, but he couldn't stop the expression. "How are you supposed to do your work correctly if you're tired all the time?" The best way to argue with Erestor was to use his job against him; Glorfindel didn't think he would take longer to rest just because he _felt_ like it, he never had before.

Erestor shrugged and finally moved a pawn forward two spaces, the limit it could go on its first move. "I've been doing fine so far."

"Yes, by falling asleep right after dismissing your assistant," Glorfindel said slightly sardonically, and Erestor snorted.

"I suppose the best way to start off tonight is to be judgmental?" he quipped.

Glorfindel shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant. You can continue…explaining." He waved a hand vaguely, and couldn't help but add, "You should, however, get more sleep."

Erestor looked mildly amused, which Glorfindel supposed was better than annoyed. He poked at a rook to get it in the direct center of its place, and took a brief drink out of the previously unused goblet Glorfindel had given him. "What should I explain?"

Glorfindel hummed. "Well…there are a few things I'm curious about, but you're the one who said you would explain some things – you had an idea of what?"

"Not really." Erestor nudged another piece into the middle of its base, and Glorfindel was tempted to stop him. It was another one of his nervous quirks. "Maybe you could ask me."

So he could use his diplomatic skills to avoid the questions and distract Glorfindel?

"Why don't you just explain?" Glorfindel suggested.

"Why don't you just ask me questions, and I'll answer them?" Erestor retorted, and the two eyed each other for a long moment.

"It's your turn," Erestor commented after a bit.

Glorfindel picked up a knight and set it haphazardly near the edge.

As expected – it happened every time, Erestor broke eye contact to adjust the piece so it sat in the center of the black square.

Glorfindel laughed, letting the earlier subject fall for a moment. "Erestor, your ear twitched."

"No it didn't," Erestor protested, but he had felt it move. He couldn't help it; whenever Glorfindel did something that was purposely annoying, the tip of his ear would flick annoyingly, and more than once Glorfindel had compared it to a cat's tail switching when it was bothered.

"It did," Glorfindel insisted, but Erestor just rolled his eyes.

There was another minute where Erestor poked at the pieces occasionally; most were still in their original places, but then Glorfindel broke the silence. Erestor was more stubborn than him, he knew, and this could last for a while.

"Very well, I _will_ ask you then," he said, and sipped a bit of wine before going on. Erestor had tensed visibly, and he had begun fiddling with the tassels on his robe again. Glorfindel hid a smile and gestured at the bandaged wrist Erestor still kept in his lap. "When can you use your hand again?"

Erestor seemed relieved, but that wasn't the only question Glorfindel planned on asking him. "A week, perhaps. I can't use it at all, since Lord Elrond told me not to do so." He cast an accusing look at Glorfindel, but the warrior was ready for it and he only smiled disarmingly.

"You won't need an assistant, then?"

"Well, the libraries don't really need her now, and it would be rather pointless to let that desk I ordered go to waste…" Erestor shook his head. "She's rather useful with paperwork and such, so I've decided to keep her on. I will give her an office of her own, however, once she's proved up to it."

Glorfindel was strangely pleased by the idea of seeing the bright-eyed assistant more often, though he couldn't say why. He hummed nonchalantly and tilted his head as another question came to him. "And you will return to your usual occupations once you are…healed?"

Erestor drummed his fingers on the table, and only stopped after he began speaking. "I still _do_ my usual occupation, I am just limited. Lisondrë writes out the reports for me, does corrections, and copies letters as I dictate. Other than that, I can do everything including the inspections and categorizing." He gave Glorfindel a haughty look. "And the last time you were wounded, you sulked in the Healing Halls until you could get out, even though your right hand was perfectly capable of writing a report."

"That wasn't my fault," Glorfindel pointed out. "I had a spear go through a lung."

Erestor winced at the reminder. "Yes, well…" he said, a bit half-heartedly. "You still could have written it."

Glorfindel laughed and took a sip of his wine. "Well, we've got that settled, then? I do have another question."

"Indeed," Erestor said, seeming distracted, but his eyes were quick as he glanced over the game and up at Glorfindel. He set another pawn forward, but this one on the other side of the board.

Glorfindel considered how to say it, but he wasn't the best at diplomatic approaches and he knew Erestor actually preferred it when someone was direct with him. He steepled his fingers together and gazed at the Chief Counselor over them. "Earlier, when you came to…apologize, let's say, you mentioned others who had abandoned your friendship. You spoke of someone who was, as you said, 'more than a friend,' but she had left as well. May I inquire as to whom that was?"

"No," Erestor said curtly, and Glorfindel caught a glimpse of almost-forgotten hurt in his dark eyes before they were veiled.

He wasn't surprised, though, and so pressed on. "A family member, perhaps?"

Erestor tightened his jaw and said nothing.

"A fellow worker – another adviser, perhaps? Was she here, or in Lindon?"

Erestor glared mutinously at the chess board, but Glorfindel wasn't cowed.

"A potential marriage partner?"

Erestor flicked his glare up to Glorfindel. "I _said_ ," snapped the adviser, "that I _don't_ want to talk about it."

Glorfindel sensed more than a little pain there, so he leaned back in his seat and spread his hands placatingly. "Very well, then, I will ask no more of her _now_. Later, I expect you to answer at least one of those questions about her."

Erestor looked as though he didn't plan on volunteering any information about this mysterious female anytime soon.

Glorfindel pushed another pawn forward, another question coming to his lips. "You said that you were…afraid to truly be friends with anyone? Or something alike to that. Is there a reason for that?"

Erestor was still scowling, but he answered finally, his gaze tempering as he recalled something. "In Lindon, there was a scribe who worked for one of the High Counselors. He was very well known – a half-Sindar, though that simply gained him more friends for his…communion with nature." The adviser made a disgusted face, and Glorfindel surmised that he didn't like the elf. "I was a young assistant then, I worked only for my father, though I was trying to earn more ranking without using his position –"

"Who _is_ your father?" Glorfindel interrupted, though he didn't want to disturb the story. He thought he knew who his father was, but he couldn't be sure. Erestor shot him an annoyed look.

"The Chief Advisor for the King," he said simply. "And a Lord of our small House – nothing noteworthy; our entire House of about three families has sailed since. I didn't want to use his position to gain ranking, and he was quite happy for me to follow in his footsteps. In any case, this…half-Sindar befriended me, claimed I was one of his dear friends – and then I was shamed before the King and Court for making a mistake with supplies – we lost a whole dozen of newly forged swords, and he wouldn't talk to me again."

"You were…close friends?" Glorfindel asked cautiously, and he didn't know quite why Erestor was sharing this all, unless he really wanted Glorfindel to understand.

Erestor laughed scornfully. " _I_ thought so. I should have known better, though – people like that only profess that they enjoy another's company. The only reason I truly do not like him now is because of what he did the next day, when a few of his other friends asked him about me. He told them that he had only been pretending to be my friend, and had stolen personal knowledge in order to flaunt it in front of everyone else." He stopped, glowering at the chess board once more, and Glorfindel rested his chin on a hand and contemplated.

"So," he said after a while. "When you saw me joking with the other warriors that morning, you simply assumed I was sharing personal things you had told me – not that you tell me much – and was mocking you for it?"

"Well…" Erestor reached out and fixed a piece that was a little off its square, his expression sliding closed. "Yes. It sounded like that."

"I see how that would…not help our friendship," Glorfindel said carefully. "You must know, however, that I would never tell another something that you told me in confidence, unless what I kept hidden would end up hurting you."

"Hurt or harm?" Erestor said with a sardonic lift to his eyebrows.

"Both," Glorfindel said. "I do wonder, though, why you still remember that incident with the…half-Sindar, as you so delicately put it, when it must have been centuries ago."

Erestor shrugged elegantly, finally lifting a bishop and setting him, sideways, halfway across the board. "He was one of the only 'friends' I have had. The others – most scribes or adviser as well, actually – have left as well, although their parting was not quite so harsh. I suppose I would remember him because I was young, then, and it stayed to my memory."

"Hmm," said Glorfindel very eloquently. "I should hope my mistakes don't stay that long."

"And mine," Erestor corrected. "I'm not so proud as to keep from admitting that I know it was foolish to push you away, when you've never showed any signs of not being a true friend except for those…misunderstandings."

"You are certainly being very accepting," Glorfindel said with a tilt of his head. "May I ask why?"

Erestor stared steadfastly at the chess board.

Glorfindel chuckled. "Is it because I have blackmail material?" he said, patting his tunic pocket where the clear outline of an envelope could be seen.

Erestor glared at him.

"You're so _humorless_ ," Glorfindel sighed. "Lighten up, _mellon nín_. I was not being serious; I appreciate this letter very much, though it was never meant to get to me, and I would never show it to anyone else."

Erestor took a gulp from his wine goblet.

"May I ask, however, why you felt the need to write this letter?" Glorfindel inquired. "I assume there were more of these that ultimately met their demise in the fire?"

"There were," Erestor said, setting his goblet hard on the table and wincing at the loud sound. "I told you that talking about…feelings was never my strongest area. I find that writing it much easier – I can only imagine the other person's reaction, and since they never got it before, it didn't matter anyway."

"Who have you written them to?" Glorfindel wondered curiously.

"You," Erestor said cursorily.

"No one else?"

"No…yes."

"Who else?

"Other people."

Glorfindel laughed. "I understand, you don't want to talk about it. Very well – but please, do write these more. They…" He sobered a bit. "It is actually a relief, knowing your true thoughts – and that you don't hate me. Do you?" he said when Erestor coughed into the cup he had just raised to his lips.

"No…" said the adviser.

" _Do you_?" said Glorfindel more severely, but with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Not especially," Erestor replied suavely. "In any case, how would I write more, knowing that you will actually read them?"

"Plan to burn them," Glorfindel suggested. "And accidentally place them where Lisondrë can deliver them to me."

"Maybe, but maybe not," Erestor said. His fingers still on the edge of the table, where he had been tapping it again, and he cast Glorfindel a nervous look. Glorfindel's keen eyes caught it, and he raised his eyebrows at Erestor.

"What is it?"

"What is…what?" Erestor said, but his eyes darted away guiltily.

"That. That, right there," said Glorfindel, pointing at him. "You obviously want to tell me something, but you won't. What is it?"

"I…well." Erestor frowned hesitantly. "You will be angry."

"After all of this…" Glorfindel waved a hand vaguely, "You really expect me to be cross with you after all that we have gone through now? Just say it."

"It's –" Erestor stared purposely at the board and spoke in a rush. "I was looking for the letter, and I was very frustrated, so I went and searched the front room in your chambers."

There was a silence, and Erestor finally dared look up to see Glorfindel smiling widely, his eyes crinkled at the corners. "That's all?" said the warrior. "I was afraid it would be something terrible, when you talked like that."

Erestor just blinked in a sort of slow way. "It does not matter to you?"

"Not especially," said Glorfindel musingly. "I suppose it is a bit unsettling to know that you might have left the door open, however."

"I would not leave the door open," Erestor said, offended, and then he sat back and shook his head, a smile quirking his lips. "I see what you did there. I am sorry for intruding upon your chambers, however."

"You are forgiven, and welcome anytime," Glorfindel said, and Erestor inclined his head in acknowledgment.

Glorfindel looked at the board, attention still somewhat on Erestor, and realized after a moment it was his turn. He pushed the first pawn he had moved at the start of the game, right next to Erestor's bishop. A second later, he realized his mistake as Erestor's eyes lit keenly and his fingers flashed to take away the piece, replacing it with a knight that was easily protected by the bishop.

"By Círdan's beard and Mahal's great hairy–!" Glorfindel started, but was interrupted by Erestor.

"Ah! No cursing in here. Do you remember what happened when there was that thunderstorm one night and the twins got lost looking for their parents' room?" The mood had changed when Glorfindel had made that move, and both knew it and were a little thankful.

"But I would _know_ if they had snuck in here," Glorfindel protested, yet he was looking cautiously around the library just the same.

"Dwarfish curses," Erestor snorted into his cup as he took another drink, and Glorfindel raised a mock-offended eyebrow.

"As if they're any worse than yours?"

"I don't curse," Erestor said primly.

"Exactly," Glorfindel laughed. He jumped a knight forward to protect a rook.

Erestor, with a suspiciously innocent smile on his face, took the knight with his other bishop.

"Life is so unfair," Glorfindel complained, slumping in his seat. He judged the game and Erestor's attention, but his intent must have been obvious, since Erestor slapped his palm onto the edge of the board, causing a few pieces to jump.

"Don't even think about it," the adviser said firmly.

Glorfindel tried to look innocent. "Think about what?"

"Flipping the board may have worked last time, but not now." Erestor eyed him suspiciously. "And there is no way I'm getting talked into your silly 'arm-wrestling' warrior game again."

Glorfindel sulked.

"We don't have enough wine for a drinking contest, anyway." Erestor gauged him carefully, then lifted his hand from the board again and picked up his drink. "Do you have any more…questions?"

"Questions? Oh." Glorfindel wondered how to get one of Erestor's pieces without sacrificing one of his own. "No, I'm quite sure you answered them all. Except for that one." He gave Erestor a meaningful look, and the adviser rolled his eyes easily.

"Where did the serious conversation go anyway?" Glorfindel questioned, not really expecting an answer.

"It was your fault," Erestor said, and frowned into his empty cup. He refilled it, and seeing that Glorfindel's was almost empty, topped that up as well.

"Of course it's my fault; it's always my fault." Glorfindel hesitated, looking cautiously at Erestor, then moved his Queen forward.

"Aha!" Erestor crowed triumphantly, picking up his own Queen and sliding it sideways. "Check!"

"By Mahal's great hairy –" Glorfindel tried again, and was interrupted once more, this time by a faked yawn.

"Why must you be so coarse?" Erestor said after he had closed his mouth.

"You think _I'm_ coarse?" Glorfindel exclaimed. "Have you ever met Celebrían's adopted brothers? _They_ have a collection."

Erestor sniffed. "Please make your move."

Glorfindel huffily shoved his Queen to block the path his opponent would take to kill the King. With an evil little smirk, Erestor captured the Queen with his own.

"Check…" he announced.

"I will…slay this malicious Queen," Glorfindel threatened, glaring at the piece with intent clear.

"…And _mate_!" Erestor said after carefully examining the board once more. "I win," he said smugly. "Though I'm not surprised."

Glorfindel looked it over and agreed, though reluctantly, that the adviser had beaten him soundly once more. "Can I flip the board now?"

"No." Erestor began putting the pieces back where they belonged, clearly wanting to start another game.

Glorfindel sighed and leaned back in his seat as Erestor cautiously set each one in its exact place, perfectly centered with the edges of its square. He deliberated over their easy banter now that the issue of…well, _everything_ had been resolved. Had it, though? Glorfindel was still wondering at the subject of that mysterious woman that Erestor had refused to bring up.

"Let's play checkers," Glorfindel said abruptly, perhaps startling himself more than Erestor.

"Why?" Erestor was on his last two pieces, nudging them ever-so-slightly to get them just where he wanted.

"Because I like checkers."

"Yes, well, I don't." Erestor, satisfied, sat back and looked at Glorfindel.

"I _do_ , and I want to play it."

"So you can beat me?"

"Are you admitting that you can be beaten at checkers?" Glorfindel challenged.

"No," said the adviser stubbornly.

"Good, then that can be our next game."

"But I don't _want_ to. Let's just do another chess game."

"It's always chess, and you always beat me! Can't you at least give me a chance with checkers?" Glorfindel stared pleadingly.

Erestor's eyes were half-lidded, unamused. "I don't like checkers."

" _Please_?"

"Fine! Fine, fine, fine." Erestor stood up and stormed out of sight behind a bookshelf, heading for the shelf where they always put the game pieces they didn't use.

"Is somebody grumpy?" Glorfindel said in a voice that was clearly trying to mimic a whining elfling, but he utterly failed and instead sounded like a whining Glorfindel.

Erestor finally laughed at the miserable effort, and Glorfindel could hear the clanging as the somewhat petite adviser tried to reach the top shelf. He considered for a moment to go help him, but decided instead to sit back and listen to the sounds of Erestor obstinately refusing to call for help and generally making a muddle out of it all.

After a minute or so, he eventually heard Erestor's exasperated voice.

"Well?! You're the one who wanted to play the game, you come get it down."

Glorfindel grinned and climbed to his feet, going around the corner to help Erestor, and delightedly thinking of what he was going to do the next morning with the darling little kitten that was still sleeping in the middle of his bed.

 **One more chapter to go! Thank you for reviewing, favoriting, and following, all of you wonderful people!**

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	4. A Strange Gift

**Just enough time to post this for all of you patient readers - thank you so much for all of your review, favorites, and follows! This is officially the last chapter of the last story in the Revenge series! You are all wonderful people, and I look forward to seeing you in other stories!**

* * *

Erestor woke the next morning to the sound of someone pounding on his door. He buried his head under a pillow, but it didn't stop and he finally lost patience. Pulling the comfortable pillow off his head, he blinked at the morning light streaming into his rooms. "Who is it?!"

The loud knocking stopped and he heard a suspicious chuckling from outside his door, then whoever it was banged twice more and dashed away – he could hear their feet pattering down the hallway. Erestor groaned and slammed the pillow over his face again, but he had a feeling that it might have been a rude courtier who had been ordered by Lord Elrond to wake him up.

Finally, grumpily, Erestor threw his sheets off and slid out of bed. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he tugged the door to his wardrobe open and grabbed the first robe he saw. They were mostly the same anyway – black and colorless, but the occasional one had silver tassels or threads like the one he had worn yesterday. He got dressed, stumbling a few times, and managed to get his hair tied back and his shoes on without making a mess of anything. He could use the tips of his fingers on his right hand now, though he couldn't actually hold anything yet, so that helped.

He threw water from the basin in his bathing chambers onto his face to fully wake himself up, then frowned briefly at his pale reflection in the mirror before heading toward the door. Stopping before exiting, he allowed himself a small smile as he remembered last night, the somewhat awkward conversation before he had explained everything, and then he and Glorfindel had apparently become friends again. After finishing their game, Glorfindel had produced an extra bottle of wine from somewhere, and they had sat in front of the fireplace and argued the best climate for a mortal to live in. It had just been another strange conversation that ended nowhere in particular until Glorfindel had bid him a grinning farewell and they went to their rooms to sleep.

An odd noise outside his door broke Erestor from his thoughts of last night, and he shook his head, straightened his robes, and opened the door. He was about to stride down the corridor when the soft tip of his boot struck something hard and he stumbled, nearly falling over it. He backpedaled immediately, barely saving himself, and took a few deep breaths before he calmed. Tugging on his robes, he glared down and saw the thing he had almost tripped over. It was a wooden box about a foot wide, elegantly carved sides and a lid with holes punched into the top.

Scowling, Erestor made to kick the thing aside, but then the noise he had heard earlier came from the box. He stopped and a curious expression overcame his face. He crouched, seeing a latch on the lid, and opened it to find a tiny animal with huge blue eyes staring up at him. Startled, Erestor glanced up and down the hallway, realizing that the knock that had come earlier was from whoever left this here. There was no one in sight, and no indication of the person he had heard a few minutes ago.

Erestor reached hesitantly into the box, and the little creature whimpered as he picked it up. Holding it out in front of him with some amount of distaste – he was always suspicious of the beasts and the horrible creatures that crawled in their fur – and surveyed it. "Where did you come from?" he asked.

The kitten mewed pitifully in answer, which was rather unhelpful.

He examined the velvety fur, the bright blinking eyes, the well-formed limbs, and he decided that this was a healthy animal, though he wouldn't call himself an expert. There was, of course, absolutely no possible way he could leave it in his rooms while he found who it belonged to, so he decided that he needed to take it with him and get Lisondrë to do…something with it.

He put it back in the box, and he could have sworn that it was sulking as he re-latched the lid. The box was relatively small and light, but he still fumbled with it for a moment before he tucked it under his left arm, glad that the usual pain wasn't bothering his bandaged wrist.

Ignoring the quiet mews that occasionally came from the box, Erestor hurried toward his office. He received a few strange looks from the elves that were up and about, but had not yet gone to the breakfast meal. He ignored them and made it to his office quickly, finding as he entered that Lisondrë was apparently there – her writing supplies were scattered all over her desk, but she was nowhere in sight.

"Lisondrë?" he called, setting the box on his own desk and looking around the large room.

"In here," came a faint reply from the supply closet. There was a banging noise, and then Lisondrë made her way out, kicking the door shut behind her, and had a pile of papers stacked in her arms. She plopped them all down on the writing desk, which was half the size of the other two desks, and sighed, brushing her hands off. "You needed me?"

"Ah…yes." Erestor frowned at the box, then jumped involuntarily when the kitten yowled loudly. He waved his hand at it. "There's something that needs dealt with."

Lisondrë raised her eyebrows, hurrying toward it, and stopped next to him. She gave the box, and then him, a questioning look. "What is it?"

"You'll see," he said, pulling the latch out and opening the lid. A furball leapt out and stood on his desk, legs quivering and fur bristling angrily.

"Oh, what a darling!" cried Lisondrë, scooping up the kitten immediately. She beamed, and the kitten calmed almost immediately when she nestled it against her shoulder and rubbed its tiny head.

Erestor sighed and tugged his sleeve to cover the bandage on his right wrist more properly. "It's yours, then?"

"Well, no, but she is _adorable_ ," his assistant crooned, petting its fur in delight. "I've never seen her before, though I think I heard someone telling Lord Elrond about her."

"It's a female?"

"This is the only cat around, since all the tomcats were chased off by the little Lords – or the terror twins, as you called them." Lisondrë's face scrunched up and then she sneezed fiercely. "Excuse me! She came with that patrol the other day – the only survivor of the attack on the small settlement, apparently."

Erestor wondered how it was that she knew this, but he didn't. He supposed it was from actually listening when someone came into to tell him something that he didn't find important, but she paid attention to anyway.

"She's homeless, then?" Erestor surmised.

"Ah…yes." Lisondrë wrinkled her nose and wiped at it with one hand. "Pardon me. I haven't heard of anyone taking her in. The poor dear." She rubbed under the kitten's chin and it purred happily, a significant change from just a few moments ago.

Erestor frowned and thought for only a moment before he found a solution to the displaced creature. "You seem to like it well enough, could you take it?"

"Well…" His assistant hesitated. "I would love to do so, but there's a reason I haven't any animals to take care of. Their fur tickles my nose and it – achoo!" She sniffed and rubbed her nose again. "Excuse me; it makes me sneeze. I don't know why, but it's especially bad with smaller animals. I'm usually fine with horses, luckily."

"Oh." Erestor considered that. "Is there anyone you know that would want a cat?"

Lisondrë squinted thoughtfully, but finally she shook her head. "No…I don't think so."

"We need to find someone to take it," Erestor decided, snatching the kitten just as Lisondrë sneezed fiercely. He set it back into the box and latched the lid again, and, ignoring the sad look that Lisondrë gave him, headed for the door.

Fortunately, Lord Elrond was in his office, sipping out of a steaming cup as he read the letters that had just been delivered last night. Erestor nudged the door open with his elbow, not wanting to jar his wrist, and paused just inside the entrance.

Elrond glanced up, smothering a yawn. His morning tea didn't help much when he had been kept awake all night by two mischievous elflings who thought it would be fun if they stayed up all night. "Good morn, Erestor," he greeted his Chief Counselor, who was standing with a…box in his hands?

The box meowed.

"Ah…" said Elrond. "What is that?"

Erestor shifted it under his left arm. "It's a cat," he said. "I was hoping you might know whose it is. I found it outside my chambers when I got up."

"A cat outside your rooms," Elrond mused. "Hmm…what does it look like?"

Erestor had wondered about the cat's fur; it seemed very odd. "It's white, but when the light shines just so off its coat, it looks like it has cream-colored stripes."

"Oh, yes, of course," Elrond said with a smile.

"You know who it belongs to?" Erestor asked with relief evident in his voice. Surely someone had to have brought her back with the patrol.

Elrond's brow furrowed and he looked at his desk for a long moment, then he shook his head and stood up. "No indeed," he said, and with that glint in his eyes, Erestor didn't believe him. "Here, let me see it."

Erestor handed the box over, and Elrond picked the small kitten out of it, setting the wooden box aside. He chuckled as he held her with one hand and ran his fingers over her coat. "It seems to be a white-colored cat, but probably has suppressed stripe genes, so the tabby stripes barely show. Ah, it's a female."

Erestor just stared for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Would you like to take her, my lord? You seem to like her."

"Oh, no, there is no way that's going to happen," Elrond said with a small measure of disappointment. "Not with Elladan and Elrohir terrorizing any of the tomcats that dare to come near them. Elladan bit the last one, and it tried to claw him."

"I'm sure she's very sweet," Erestor tried, but Elrond shook his head firmly and set the kitten back in his hand.

"No, I'm sorry – and Celebrían wouldn't let me accept her, anyway."

"Very well." Erestor reached for the box to put the kitten back. "I suppose I'll find someone else who will take her."

"That's a good…idea…" Elrond trailed off slowly and he appraised Erestor carefully. After a moment, a smile stretched his face. "Would you –"

"I actually can't take her," Erestor interrupted quickly. "I have so much to do, she might get left in my rooms for a few days if I don't go there, I don't have time to take care of an animal, and I actually know almost nothing about cats."

"Well, that can all be easily remedied," Elrond said, eyes gleaming. "She doesn't have to stay in your rooms unless you want her to do so, you can have the maids feed her, and you can read some books about cats or just ask someone. I think it's a very good idea for you to watch over something besides yourself, however."

"I don't –" Erestor started, but Elrond was smiling and nodding as he continued.

"Yes, I think that will work. You'll subsequently take better care of yourself because you have something else to help. This is an ingenious idea; I'm so glad I thought of it." Elrond beamed and clapped his hands together. "There! You have a pet now."

Erestor tried to refrain from glaring, slamming the lid on the box shut and latching it. "I don't _need_ a pet. I have a library."

Elrond laughed. "That's quite amusing, Erestor, but I really do think you should keep her. Why don't you go ahead and get everything set up in your rooms for her to live there – Lisondrë can take care of everything for you while you get it done. Go along now!"

Erestor scowled and left, feeling like an elfling who had just been told what was and what was not good for him. He passed Lisondrë on the way to his chambers, and told her to draw up the schedule for the next day's meeting – since that was one thing that was almost impossible for her to mess up – and when he got to his rooms, he just set the box on the bed while he stared at it.

"I have no idea what to do with a cat," he said, and wished that he had never brought the box into Lord Elrond's office. Maybe he should have just left the box at someone else's door, or passed her off to someone who would like her. Glorfindel, for example.

Glorfindel! Erestor realized that he hadn't seen the Elda at all this morning, and resolved to talk to him as soon as possible. There was no way, once Erestor had just regained his friendship – or was it the other way around? – that he was going to ignore him again. He would find him, then, after he dealt with this…animal.

What was he to do with it anyway? There were things it needed – food! It needed food, and something it could drink from. And a box, with sand, so it could stay in his rooms without needing to go outside and do its business. He would collect those items, it would be easy, but what to do with the cat in the meantime?

He gave the box an apprehensive look. "If I let you out while I'm gone, are you going to shred anything?" He had heard tales of cats inside that liked to sharpen their claws on all and sundry, including furniture and bedposts.

The kitten wailed pitifully, but it was rather muffled inside the box. Erestor wondered briefly if it was actually miserable inside that thing, and if he should get it out or not. Maybe he would get it out and take it with him while he found food and everything else for it. Yes, he would do that, since he really couldn't just leave it here.

His mind made up, Erestor opened the box and scooped up the kitten before it could jump out. He used the edge of his right hand to help get it out, but then just folded the fingers of his left hand over its tiny back to hold it. His hands weren't particularly large, but the small cat seemed almost dwarfed by his left hand. He rubbed its head comfortingly before he thought about it, and it purred, switching a pale tail around his fingers.

"I can't just call you 'it,'" Erestor disapproved. "You need a name."

It squirmed happily in his grip and pressed its head into his hand, demanding to be rubbed some more. He complied, thinking absently what to name it – and then shook his head. He _couldn't_ name this thing, he would grow too attached, and that was never a good idea with mortal beings.

A knock came at his door before he could think any more about it, and the kitten lost interest suddenly, wiggling fiercely and trying to get free. He tightened his grip, but was careful not to crush it, and winced as tiny claws hooked into the skin between thumb and forefingers.

"Just a moment!" he called in the general direction of the door, tucking the kitten to his chest so it couldn't struggle anymore. It rumbled a tiny growl that actually sounded quite hilarious and clawed at his hand once more. A moment later, it lost interest and settled into his hand, chewing comfortably on his forefinger.

Erestor allowed it, knocking the box shut with his other hand, and was pleased when it didn't hurt his wrist. He went out of his bedroom into the front room and paused to adjust a lopsided pillow on the small couch before heading over to the door.

Then he stopped, considering, and frowned as he looked between the kitten in his only usable hand and the unopened door. Finally, he took a few steps back. "Come in," he said, glad that he hadn't locked the door.

The knob turned and the door swung open, and Glorfindel stepped into the room. He smiled when he saw Erestor. "Good morn!" he said rather cheerfully. "I was just by Lord Elrond's office, and he told me that you are to have the day off to…prepare."

"Well…" said Erestor. He hadn't expected to see Glorfindel, but was actually a bit glad that he wouldn't have to go look for him later. "That's good, I suppose."

"Yes, it is," Glorfindel agreed, and there was an awkward silence before Glorfindel caught sight of the small kitten nestled against Erestor's robes, held securely there by his hand.

"Oh look, you have a cat," he said, not sounding at all surprised. "She's adorable."

Erestor gave him a considering look, then he smiled suddenly. "She is, isn't she? You like cats, don't you?"

"Ah…yes," said Glorfindel, hoping this wasn't going where he thought it was.

"I have a solution for her, then, because I don't really know what to do with a pet." Erestor detached the kitten from his robe – it has sunk its claws into the thick material – and thrust her toward Glorfindel. "You like cats, you can take her!"

"Actually…" Glorfindel said hastily, taking a step back. "I…yes, I like them, I just don't have the time to keep one – you know, going on patrols and all; but anyway, I think Lord Elrond said you were to keep her, yes?"

Erestor stared suspiciously at Glorfindel stammering his explanation, but sighed when he stopped. The kitten, dangling over his palm, mewled happily up at Glorfindel, and the Balrog-slayer rubbed her head before smiling convincingly at Erestor.

"Don't _you_ like cats, Erestor?"

"No, not really," said the adviser, which wasn't exactly what Glorfindel had wanted to hear. "From what I hear, they're general nuisances."

Glorfindel laughed. "They're really not – they catch any rodents you might have hanging around, they keep you on your toes, and they provide lovely companionship when they're not shedding on your chairs or bed. Besides…" He scratched under the kitten's chin and she purred. "This one's still little, you can train her."

Erestor just shook his head. "Well, it's not like I have any choice. Lord Elrond practically ordered me to keep her."

"Oh, good," Glorfindel said in an undertone, and Erestor barely made it out.

"Excuse me?" he said with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Nothing, nothing," the Captain said hastily, smiling cheerfully. "Hey, even if I can't keep her, I can help you take care of her…get things for her, couldn't I?"

"I don't see why not," Erestor said. He finally pulled the kitten back from Glorfindel's rubbing and cushioned her up against his robes again. "I need to get her food first, I suppose. Do you have any idea what these things eat?"

"No, first she needs a name," Glorfindel disagreed. "But we can decide that while we go to the kitchens."

Erestor raised an eyebrow again at Glorfindel's presumptuousness, but decided against reprimanding him for it. He slipped past Glorfindel into the hallway, and waited until the Elda had followed him out before kicking the door shut; there really was no other way to do it.

"To the kitchens we go, then!" Glorfindel said cheerily as he followed Erestor down the corridor. "We need to get…hmm, milk and soft meats for her to eat. Maybe some bread too, but not much. We can just get the maids to bring her food and drink in the morning if you have to leave her there, and the box with sand that she'll need I can appropriate from the woodcarver shop later, and have it filled with sand…"

His words were mostly tuned out by Erestor, though he was listening with one ear. He was thinking about something, just a small issue that needed to be addressed…

"Glorfindel," he interrupted suddenly, cutting off the other's discussion about the best type of sand to use. When Glorfindel looked at him with a smile stretching his face and blue eyes twinkling, he hesitated.

"Ah…never mind." He ran his finger along the kitten absent-mindedly, glancing down at her to see that she was resting her tiny furry chin on his thumb, blinking sleepily and adoringly up at him. He couldn't help the small smile that broke across his lips, but Glorfindel knew he had meant to say something important.

"What is it?" the Captain asked, a measure of seriousness creeping into his tone. They were still walking, but hadn't encountered anyone yet, and were still quite far from the kitchens.

"It's…" Erestor frowned, yet willed the expression to go away as he looked back at Glorfindel. "We are friends again, yes? All of…that...that happened, it doesn't matter now?"

"Of course it matters," said Glorfindel quietly, understanding what he meant. "But it's nothing that will affect our companionship in a negative way, I hope. What I learned recently, about you, about _true_ friendship, is nothing that I would want to forget."

"So…" Erestor said gradually, his steps slow and even, "we are…fine, then?"

"We are fine," Glorfindel agreed with a smile. "And yes, friends still. I never truly thought that it had ended, though we had a bitter argument. It's better now, more solid, I think, since we know more."

"Ah." Erestor was silent for a long while, and when he finally spoke, it was to change the subject. "Are you ever going to give that letter back?"

"Indeed not," Glorfindel said firmly. When he said no more than that, Erestor asked another question.

"What about…what happened on your patrol? I have told you what my thoughts were…somewhat…while you were gone. What happened while you were away?"

"I will tell you next chess night," Glorfindel told him, smiling again.

"Chess, truly? Not checkers?"

"No checkers," Glorfindel granted, grinning. "But I want to do another drinking contest; last time was completely unfair."

"As long as I don't have to drag you back to your rooms like _last time_ ," Erestor said, hiding a smile at Glorfindel's affronted gasp.

"What?" exclaimed Glorfindel, pretending to be completely oblivious. "I have no idea what you're talking about – and you can't prove it anyway," he finished smugly.

They both fell silent when someone, walking the opposite direction, neared them. The person nodded and went past, and Glorfindel smiled suddenly. "Can I hold her?"

Erestor felt a sudden, strange reluctance to part with the white and cream-striped kitten that was nosing sleepily into his robe, but he snuffed the feeling and delivered her unceremoniously to Glorfindel's outstretched hands. If he had thought the kitten looked small in his hand, it look practically miniscule in Glorfindel's sword-callused palms.

The mighty Balrog-slayer, upon receiving the kitten, lifted her even with his eyes and cooed. "Aw, she's so cute!"

Erestor rolled his eyes.

There was an odd twinkle in the kitten's eyes, though, as if Glorfindel was familiar to her. She yawned prettily and stretched, gazing at him with a little cat grin. She batted briefly at a strand of golden hair before leaping straight out of Glorfindel's hands.

Erestor let out a surprised gasp and grabbed for her, but she twisted in mid-air and landed lightly on her feet. With a catch-me mrowl, she darted away down the hallway, her tiny feet slipping on the polished floor.

"Oops," said Glorfindel, not moving after seeing that she was moving only a little faster than he could walk, and the stretch of corridor had no open doors along it.

Erestor glowered at him. "You're supposed to hold her so she _doesn't_ fall."

"Oops," Glorfindel said again, smiling apologetically. "I'll catch her." He rolled his shoulders determinedly and started down the hall. The image of a great golden Balrog-slayer stalking the tiny bouncing white kitten was an utterly hilarious image, and Erestor committed it to memory before following them.

All would be well again.

* * *

 **Again, thank you, everyone, for reading and all you've done! There are so many people who've kept me going while I do this that it's just impossible to name them all - but you people, you know who you are!**

 **And this is not the end of this journey! This long series may be resolved, but the road ahead is still rough, and no friendships are perfect. Look for Glorfindel and Erestor in my upcoming drabbles and more multi-chapter stories! _Hannon le, mellyn nin!_**

 ***bows out***


End file.
